Musical instrument



C. B. ROLAND.

MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 30. 1919.

1,358, 1 77. Patented Nov. 9, 1920.

INVENTOR CZ'aT/es bJiola'zzd' ATTORNEY CHARLES B. ROLAND, OF SEATTLE,WASHINGTON.

MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 9, 1920.

Application filed October 30, 1919. Serial No. 884,428.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, CHARLES B. ROLAND, acitizen of the United States, and resident of the city of Seattle,county of King, and State of Washington, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Musical Instruments, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to stringed musical instruments such for instance,as the guitar, mandolin, violin and the like, which employ sound boxeshaving resonant diaphragms which form walls thereof.

The object of my invention is to provide a construction for instrumentsof thls character which will increase the volume of sound given outthereby. In the accompanying drawings I have shown instruments of thiskind constructed with my invention embodied therein, which drawings willserve to illustrate the principles of my invention and the manner ofappl ing the same.

The features which believe to be new and upon which I desire to secure apatent, will be hereinafter set forth and then particularly defined inthe claims.

Figure 1 is a face view of a violin constructed in accordance with myinvention.

Fig. 2 is an end view of such an instrument showing the sound dischargeopening in the end of the body.

Figs. 3 and 4 are face views of modified forms with portions of the facediaphragm, or wall, removed in order to show the interior construction.

In making the sound box of an instrument in accordance with myinvention, I prefer to maintain the major faces, which faces may becalled the front and rear faces, integral, that is, without theperforations which are ordinarily placed in instruments of thischaracter, to provide sound discharge openings. These faces are usuallyconnected by comparatively narrow strips extending about the outermargins thereof, and providing connecting walls in the ordinaryinstrument. These edge walls are integral or without any sound openings.In my invention I omit a section of this wall, or provide a section ofthis wall with sound discharge openings.

In Fig. 1 which shows a violin constructed in accordance with myinvention, the body thereof is, in the main, of a construction similarto that of the ordinary violin. It

differs from it in having the major faces integral or without sounddischar e openings. In the pattern as shown in ig. 1, it also differsslightly in design in having the end 10 flared outwardly and extendingsomewhat farther than in the usual design. The side walls 11 flareoutwardly from a neck 12 and the connecting wall at the end 10 is eitheromitted or provided with liberal sound discharge openings. As shown inFigs. 1 and 2, this end wall is shown as consisting of a grille 2.

In the instrument shown in Fig. 3, the sound discharge opening is shownin one edge wall at'the point 30. Within the sound box and extendingacross. from one face to the other is a partition 3 which is preferablyplaced in such relation to the edge wall 13 which is opposite thereto,as to provide a horn, the inner end of which is the narrower. This horneffect produces an increase in the volume of sound discharged. In theconstruction shown in Fig. l the two opposite edge walls 11, beingdiverging outwardl form in effect a horn.

In ig. 4 is shown an instrument which, in its shape more nearlyresembles a guitar. This is shown as lacking an end wall at the point 14from which the string bar extends.

It is also shown as provided with two partitions 31, extending inwardlyand converging adjacent to the point where the strings are engaged forplaying. This forms an effective horn which utilizes a portion of theouter edge wall of the sound box as a portion of the wall of the horn.It is evident that the principles herein employed of making the majordiaphragm integral, and providing sound discharge openings in the edge,or non-resonant portions of the box and the employment of partitionswhich constitute horns, may be applied in a great variety of ways. I donot therefore wish to be limited to the exact construction herein shown.

I have found that musical instruments constructed in accordance withthis invention are the equal of other musical instruments of ordinaryconstruction in their tonal qualities and are superior thereto in thevolume of sound given out. They are therefore much to be preferred fororchestral purposes, or for any purpose where a volume of sound givenout is desirable. At the same time it is possible to play them in 7 suchmannerthat the volume of sound is no prising a body formed as a soundbox and greater than would be given out by a like provided With a sounddischarge opening in instrument of ordinary construction. a1 1-edge,-.and a partition within the body What I claim as my invention is: forminga horn flaring outward to said 5 1. A stringed musical instrumentoomopeningand contained entirely Within the 15 prising a body forming asound box probody of the instrument. vided with a sound dischargeopeningin an Signed at Seattle, Washington, this 24th 7 edge and apartition Within the body formday of October 1919. ing a horn leading tosaid opening; a

10 2. A stringed musical instrument oom- CHARLES B. ROLAND.

